i found a hummingbird, it was alive but not flying, so I took it to the vet, my question is?

Question

do you think I should have kept it and fixed it myself, that way I could have a pet hummingbird?

Answer 1

If you want a pet hummingbird, put out a hummingbird feeder, preferably with a rail so the hummingbird can rest on the perch, containing a solution of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Do NOT use honey (deadly to hummingbirds) nor artificial sweeteners (no nutrition for birds). Boil the solution first, to kill any germs, let it cool, fill the feeder, and store the rest in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Do not put food coloring in the water, despite what you may have heard. Change the water twice a week. It may take 2 weeks for the hummingbirds to find it, but once they do, you'll have one or more coming about every 10-15 minutes. You can stand still near the feeder as they come and get used to you. Every day stand a little closer. I've gotten about 1 foot away from a hummingbird. I've seen some people who put a small feeder tube of nectar in their mouths and the hummingbirds come and feed right out of their mouths.

If you get them this tame, it would be like having them as pets, you'd see them all day long, but they'd have their freedom to live as they were meant to, and be able to fly over greater areas. You wouldn't have to worry about how to take care of them, just enjoy them. So it would be the best for both you and the hummingbirds.

By the way, if a hummingbird is not flying, how did you propose to "fix" it? Hummingbirds do spend quite a bit of their time resting on branches. Thanks for being a caring person and bringing it to the vet.

Answer 2

You did the best thing in taking the bird to a vet. I had healed a crow with a badly shattered wing. Of course with surgery and antibiotics, the bird lived but could not be returned to the wild because it could never fly again. I kept it as a pet for a year and it did become somewhat social because it was a fairly young crow, but it was never happy. It constantly plucked at its feathers and hollered for attention because it needed interaction. A crow is a meat eater and it was very messy and smelly. I loved the bird greatly but after a long endeavor, I finally found an animal sanctuary where it could live safely outdoors. All the time that I kept it, I felt that the poor thing would have suffered less had it not been rescued at all. The vet is trained to make the decision on whether a wild animal can be rehabilitated or not without the emotional attachment. If the animal were meant to live and not suffer, the vet will make sure that it does just that.

Answer 3

First of all I'd just like to say that i think its really sweet of you to do that :)
And i'm sure if you ask the vet he'll let you keep it..or you could lie and say that its already your pet (unless you already told the vet you found it)





If nothing works out, and you still regret not keeping the hummingbird, then, on a positive note, it would hav been alot of work and a day will come when you'll get irritated you'd probably want to shoot it.

If you get the bird somehow, i wish you both a happy life together!

Answer 4

You did the right thing. You can't have a pet humming bird. They need to fly over lots of territory and eat pretty much constantly. Putting a hummingbird into a cage with just a feeder is just like putting a ballerina into a dark closet and feeding her gruel. Maybe you'll be lucky and the bird will get all well and find its way back to your yard and sing thanks to you for doing the right thing!

Answer 5

You should never try to keep a pet that you find before getting it evaluated by a vet. Birds can carry disease, just like every other animal. Actually they are more likely to have mites, or infecious diseases more than any other animal.
Although it would have been 'cool' to keep it as a pet, you should always be careful!
So you definately did the right thing. Besides you're not qualified to 'fix' animals.
Vets have to go to college for al least 8 years, so I'm glad you did the right thing.
So........ take care!
♥
Stacy M

Answer 6

Absolutely not. You first instincts were the right ones. A humming bird is not a bird that is easily taken care of. You would have felt bad if you had chosen to keep it and you had no idea what to do with it to keep it healthy and it died. As cool as it would be to have a pet humming bird , i don't think it would be in either of you best interests. Props for doing the right thing. You probably saved that little birds live ..............cool being a hero , huh?!

Answer 7

Hi. Since you took it to a vet. What did he/she say? Hummingbirds are not pets. Good luck on your endeavor.

Answer 8

i know from experience tht if u would have kept the hummingbird it would probably die or stay in a cage until it died and never been able to fly in open air

Answer 9

hello :)
you did the right thing - because they are so small you wouldn't be able to keep it from moving till it healed completely. the drugs a Dr. would use would let it heal three times faster. they 'll need a huge cage for free flight, when it is healthy enough to fly. do you have that setup?
you did the right thing (:

Answer 10

Too much ink wasted on a stupid hummingbird... you should have let it die. Let nature take its course. We should be doing the same with people who cannot fend for themselves....